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Hello. I'm Joni. I'm 33 years old. I got dx'ed with type 2 diabetes in November of 2009. I'm on metformin, 2000 mg a day, glyburide, 5 mg, leviemer flex pen, 26 units at night, and humalog flexpen, with meals. I can NOT control my levels. I do from one extreme to the other. I'm either way too high or way too low. It's crazy and drives me insane. I'm trying to eat a lot healthier, and watch my portions, but nothing seems to help. I'm upset with it. When I was first dx'ed my normal range was 400-550. It is coming down, slowly. My normal now is between 350-250. Sometimes it's in the high 100's. It gets disappointing trying to control it. But I'm determined to beat it. Just hope that I can. I also have PTSD, depression, anxiety, liver issues, low self-esteem, and social phobia, but not to an extreme. I can be around people, just not crowds.I'm looking forward to making some friends here.

Whenever you're ready, but sometimes it helps to reach out when you are in a funk to pull your self out (or let us lift you up). Additionally, I'm sure you have life experiences that would be beneficial to others on this site if you felt like sharing in that way. Hang in and hang on!! (((Hugs))) Sherrie

Howdy from Ohio and welcome to the family. While I can't offer any suggestion when it comes to meds, you probably should keep a journal to share with your health care team. Keep track not only of your food (calories/carbs/fats/protein) but also keep track of your emotions, exercise and anything else that can help you and the medical assistants with seeing and tracking patterns. Whether you've been diabetic for days, months, years or decades it is overwhelming as you try to make sense of a condition for which there is no sense to be made with what causes or prevents highs or lows. You have a good attitude with the statement, "I'm determined to beat it." While none of us may have answers, we are all in this together and you'll find an amazing support system here. If I can help in any way, please drop a line or add me as a friend. I've found so much information here and proud to be a part of this community with some awesome people… like YOU!

I'm glad to be here! Thanks to EVERYONE for the welcome!first let me say, that I have no health insurance, so I go to a health clinic, which is income based. to see a dietian or specialist is out of the question. I can not afford the visits. I'm on SSI disability, without medical coverage. I don't have the $236 extra a month to get the medical coverage. that being said, I do the best I can with internet resources, friends, books, etc to help. I know I need to eat healthier foods, watch the carb intake, etc. It's just really hard since I really haven't cared for the last two years. But it needs to stop and it needs to be controlled. I try to test my levels at least three times a day. Those strips aren't cheap, so I don't think I can do the six to eight times that most people have told me to do. I did test more frequently when I was working and not on a fixed income.

the lady that came to the clinic to talk to me about diabetes and eating was horrible. She said she had diabetes too, and that carbs and sugar are the same thing, so just increase your insulin to eat the foods that i wanted to. which i did. i mean she was supposed to be a "specialist" so I figured she was right. ha so wrong. she also said that she enjoyed 4-5 drinks a night. those are loaded with carbs. i was just mislead and misguided in the begining and it's hard to try and fix my mind set now.

its so hard to face reality with all my health issues. i am depressed a lot of the time, but all my health problems cause depression. I'm in counsleing now for PTSD which is the underlying cause of my depression, I'm sure. But with diabetes, hep c, depression, social anxiety, etc, it all just balls up and makes me want to explode at times.

any advice or suggestions are welcome. I appreciate all the love and support that you have showed to me already!

Hi Joni,Welcome to the community. This is a great place to be and there are so many caring people to help you along the way. I got diabetes in 2007 and was just on Meds. Then my sugar levels kept getting worse and I could not get it under control. I was walking around with over 400 levels for 2 years while the Dr. was trying to find the right meds. In 2008 the Dr. put me on insulin because he said the meds weren't working and I can't walk around with levels over 400, it will kill me. So I went through severe depression and wouldn't except that I had diabetes, much less now I have to do shots. I was in complete denial for a long time.So the next problem was trying to find the right insulin and the right dosage to get it under control. During this time my A1C was too high to read…Very bad… So finally the Dr. sent me to an Endo specialist and after running many tests and extensive blood work, found out that I am now a type 1 and my pancreas doesn't produce any insulin. So no wonder i couldn't get it under control. That Dr. finally gave me the answers I have been looking for for 4 years. I was exercising, eating right and still couldn't get it under control. I wanted to give up. So now that I know I can deal with it a lot better and my levels are so much better. Denial is an ugly think and it could take your life, so I try to look at it in a positive way but it has been a long process to get there. I wish you luck and if you can't get things under control, don't wait 4 years like I did, ask your Dr, to refer you to an Endocrinologist. it was the best thing to happen to me. This specialist will also help you with your meals and the right amounts of carbs and exercise. Please stay in touch and let me know how you are doing.God Speed…Peggy

Welcome to our DC family! This is certainly a good place to come for support and knowledge. I have learned a lot being here.

I don't take insulin yet, but i have a feeling when i go back in dec. to see my doc that might change. I'm having a hard time getting my #'s to come down with just the pills. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes not! I have only been serious about this for about 2 months.

When I first found out it was right after my mom died and i just was like, well i will take my pills (glucophage) and I can just do what i want. I was in denial. Then I got sick and it took them a month to find out i had gastritis. It was my body giving me a wake-up call.

So here i am also trying to get it under control. And I can tell you this, I also am determined to win. I might lose a battle here and there, but we a Warriors and I will win the war!!

So I guess what I am saying, is don't give up, it takes time. If you have just given up the sweet drinks, are you drinking more water? That's pretty much all i drink anymore! I was addicted to Arizona Green Tea with ginsing and honey!! Way too much sugar! I don't even miss that anymore. I eat more proteins and complex carbs and stay away from white bread, white rice and potatoes. I also found keeping a food journal helpful. I also record my bs checks is there.I would see about going to a different nutrionist if i were you. She didn't sound like she really cared. The dietician we have for our patients at work was helpful. So they are not all like that. You might have to shop around to find someone who really wants to help you.

I wish you the best of luck! Stay strong Warrior. You will find lots of good help here.Blessings, Mickey

Hello Joni! Welcome to the community. I can not stress enough the importance of getting your food on track as soon as possible. The longer you have numbers in the 250 and above range, the more damage is being done to your body. I got my D under control after about 1 year after being diagnosed (9 years ago) I lost weight, exercised (actually ran a marathon (26 miles) and was fairly reasonable with my meals. 1 year ago I got cocky and became non compliant. The result, tingling and numbness in my hands and toes, feeing ill and physically poor, and 5 weeks ago my vision became doubled as a result of a paralasys of the muscle attached to my eyeball. Very scary, couldn't drive without covering one eye, watching tv the same and took 1 month off work.My BG was in the 400-500 range and I was immediately placed on several meds. I met with a diabetes educator and nutritionist and developed a plan for me. My numbers are in the low 100's and under but at times I end up higher. Thankfully my vision corrected itself and the hands and feet are back to normal, BUT THAT IS JUST BECAUSE I WAS LUCKY!!. So many complications of D are undetected until it is too late and the damage irrepairable. D is nothing to fool with, you don't just keel over dead with it. You lose parts of yourself first: Your vision, toes, fingers, legs, mobility, well, you get the picture. D is managable and once you develop a routine it gets pretty easy. But the food and weight will make an enormous difference. You are taking a big risk with your insulin administrtion and, Girl, you are young enough to turn this thing around. It is hard work at first but it gets easier the longer you do it. Don't wait another week before you turn this thing around. Also, depression often accompanies Diabetes, so can your Doc put you on an anti-depressant? It helps. Good luck and keep me posted with your progress and I am here for support anytime. Hugs! Sherrie

Hey Sherrie!!! Thanks for the welcome. I'm on antidepressants. And newly dx'ed with PTSD as well. Lots of things on my plate. I'm trying to change my eating habits, but its hard for me. I know I can do it, but I don't think I have the real want to or will power. I'm trying. I just have to change my thought process!!! Thanks for your replies!!

Hi Girl! Do you have access to a diabetic education program? I think it would be easier if you were able to meet with someone who can provide education and support specific to your situation. It is very confusing trying to develop a meal plan without the foundational information about diabetes and nutrition. Additionally, your meds sound very complicated and maybe if you had them re-evaluated they might be easier to maintain. As far as motivation and will power, you may be in denial about the serious negative ramifications of D, and the PTSD and depression can be a barrier to your taking action. What has worked for me is to gain knowledge of the disease and develop a plan with my health care team and then, WORK THE PLAN. I know the foods I need to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks. I have to plan in advance to make sure I have the choices available and I have developed a routine that prevents me from having to "re-invent the wheel" every day regarding my meals. I have a very stressful career (social worker) and I have to do a lot of planning to make sure I take care of myself at work. For the last year I thought I could do things my way (eating whatever I wanted, over eating, eating junk and sweets to the max), But guess what? I couldn't, and I nearly lost my vision and health, so I had to surrender and do it the RIGHT way, not MY way. I sound a little like I am lecturing, but I think that's because I am old enough to be your mother (54), er, um, I mean your much older sister (LOL) and I see you as a young person who has youth on your side as far as bouncing back from thisl. I hope you will take the first steps and just know I'll be here by your side if you need me. Sherrie

thanks so much Sherrie! and to everyone else who has replied to me, Peggy and Mickey! I'm off to spend time with my amazing boyfriend, but I'll post a better reply either tonight or tomorrow!! thanks for caring!!

Hi Joni,
Welcome to the community. It is kind of cool that you can be around a crowd of folks here and not feel uncomfortable. I can relate to your dilemma, I take a lot of meds and they really only help for about the first couple of weeks I start a new dose. After that, my body just acclimates and is very stubborn. It is frustrating, but know this that as long as you are doing what you can, then you are doing well. Even if numbers are not agreeing, at least you know your efforts are there. Finding the right mix is hard because there are so many variables. That is where a log book can help if you are not doing one.

This is what helped me lower my A1C from 14.1 to 5.9 in less than 4 months.

Feb 2009 I was diagnosed with a fasting blood sugar of 366 and A1C of 14.1. Started to eat a salad every day at supper. Also started to eat lots of low carb vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumbers, spinach, pickles and sauerkraut. Started to drink 8+ glasses of water every day.

I then bought a meter and started to test my blood sugar before and after each meal. At first I was testing 2 hours after each meal and when my numbers dropped a lot I started testing 1 hour after meals. I was testing 5-7 times a day. I cut back or eliminated foods that spiked my blood sugar more than 50 points after eating.

By testing I found that foods like bread and most foods made of grains along with pasta, rice, corn, potatoes, oatmeal, cereals, chips, crackers, cakes, cookies, candy, soda, fruits, fruit juices, milk and most foods that contain more than 5-6 net carbs per serving as found on the package label all spiked my blood sugar. Some people can cut back on these foods and some people like me have to stop eating them.

After about 6-8 weeks my blood sugar readings were almost normal levels.

I found by reducing and eliminating high carb starchy foods helped me a lot. By adding small amounts of chicken, beef, pork or a hard boiled egg to my meals helped reduce blood sugar spikes also.

Hi Kevin!!!My problem is I'm a very picky eater. I don't like vegetables, except corn. I'm a carb junkie I guess. I know I really need to change!! One of my problems is the diabetic nutrition lady I talked to. She didn't help my mindset. Basically she told me to eat what I want, just adjust the insulin. If I want to drink soda, do it. Just eat a salad with it. What's the difference? She was not helpful at all!! And I kinda just kept that mind set you know? I'm determined to change. But it's a struggle for me.

Hi jonimouse, boy my Certified Diabetic Educator (CDE) would kick your nutritionist square in the butt. The only adjusting that you should be doing is portion size. The only time I am allowed to adjust my insulin if I have orange juice with breakfast, as we know this will spike me by 25 points, so on those mornings I take two extra units of my fast acting insulin. If I were you I would look for a different nutritionist along with a CDE.

Howdy Joni! WELCOME to DiabeticConnect! Sorry that you quality for inclusion in our little online "family"!

When you say you are trying to eat "healthier" I don't know what that word healthier means to you. I know what I mean when I say it, but we may have different meanings. So describe for us of what your meals for the day consist? How many carbohydrates are you consuming per meal? How many meals are you are eating per day? And describe your portion sizes for your meats.

Managing your diabetes is like sitting on a 3 legged stool. Leg 1 is medication (or some type of control plan). Leg 2 is exercise, and leg 3 is your dietary intake.

I suspect that leg 3 pf stool on which you sit is too long and throws your system off balance.

I might be all wet, but that is my guess as to what might be causing the highs.

thanks for the welcome. I haven't cared as much as I should about my diabetes in the past. The only major change I made was stopped drinking Mountian Dew and Sweet Tea. I was still eating what I wanted when I wanted. But this is just slowly killing me, and I've woke up. I'm cutting out the sweets, adding fuits as reasonable portions. I'm trying to eat just little meals, or snacks, up to six times a day. I try not to eat more than 60 carbs per meal and 30 for a snack. I try to eat cereal for breakfast or oats. What ever the portion on the box says for the carbs. then an apple or orange for snack. a sandwhich for lunch. then another apple or orange. sometimes a few grapes. then dinner. i usually over eat a little on dinner, but trying HARD to stop that. I usually cook a meal for my guy and me. Depends on what day as to what I fix. Nothing to healthy I guess. I take so much insulin I hate it. But over the last two months, I honestly haven't even been taking my insulin. much at all. like just my night time shot. that was all…drinking what I wanted, eating what I wanted…but I'm changing now. It's hard. I've been determined for the last week. I know it's not much, but it's a start. of course, I over ate today…ugh…but holidays are always hard for me. I just wish it was easier…but I guess that's why they call it life changing! I look forward to getting to know you and making friends with others as well!!!!! thanks so much!!!

60 carbs per meal is quite a bit of carbs. Often I have heard that registered dieticians (RD) limit big men to 60 per meal and limit the meals to 3. The highest I have heard for ladies from RDs is a maximum of 45 carbs per meal for 3 meals. If you want to spread that out to smaller meals multiply the 45 carbs by 3 and then divide that number by the number of smaller meals you want to eat per day.

You might also want to check how certain foods and drinks are metabolized by YOUR body. Every person with Diabetes (PWD) tends to metabolize certain foods or drinks or even medications differently. For instance oatmeal may not spike someone else's Blood Glucose (BG) level while it may spike mine. This is how I can tell what a particular food or drink does to me. If you want you can do something similar.

What I do is to take a BG reading before I test a food. That is my "baseline reading". I determine what a "serving" of a particular food is using either foodpicker.org (http://foodpicker.org/) or nutrition data.com (http://nutritiondata.self.com/) or ( http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/4486.asp ) eat a recommended portion of that food. Then 2 hrs lafter my first bite I take a "postpramdial" reading. That will tell me how much that particular portion of food has raised my BG levels over my baseline readings. If it raises my BG less than 50 pts, I may eat that portion without much trouble. If it raises my BG over 50 then I need decide whether it is too much over 50 or not and I may want to retest it with a lower portion size. If it is closer to a 100 pts raise then I usually decide to avoid that food altogether.

I then put a page in my 3 ring binder with that food on it, and record the baseline, the portion conumed and the postprandial results, and my decisions made, whether to retest with a lower portion, and then results of that test, or if I decided to avoid that food altogether.

I do that so I remember what I've tested and what my decisions were, so I don't have to test again needlessly.

That way I have a book of what works for ME and my metabllism specifically.

I agree it seems like a lot of testing, but for me it takes much of the guesswork out of my meal plans.